What is now the intersection of Pearl and Broadview Roads was the original settlement
of Old Brooklyn. In 1905, this area was annexed to Cleveland the same year that the Pearl
Road street car line was extended south along the Big Creek Valley. The area now known
as Brookside Park became the permanent home of the Cleveland Zoo in 1908. Today this area
has a successful housing market and both commercial and residential development in progress.

Location: The Hinckley Industrial Parkway and Jennings Road create a
curving western edge to Old Brooklyn. Both Brookside Park and the Cleveland Zoo are
on the northern edge of Old Brooklyn and they form the border between this
neighborhood and Clark-Fulton. Interstate 480 is the dominating southern border of
Old Brooklyn. To the east, Old Brooklyn extends just beyond Fulton Road.

Cleveland Zoo

Brookside Park

Along Fulton Parkway and Denison Avenue is Brookside Park. This is one of
Cleveland's oldest municipally owned parks. The park was created in 1894 and serves
the Old Brooklyn neighborhood to this day.

Located on Brookside Park Drive is the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo which is maintained
as part of the Cleveland Metroparks. The zoo features natural habitats for the
animals. Recent additions to the Zoo include a Rainforest and the a wolf lodge. The
Zoo hosts many family events on a seasonal basis. (link to website)

Jeremiah Gates Home on Memphis Ave

The Jeremiah Gates Home was built in 1820 with bricks fashioned with baking clay
from a nearby stream. Located at 3506 Memphis Avenue it is believed to be the oldest
residence in Old Brooklyn.

Both the South Hills and Jennings Road sections of Old Brooklyn have seen
residential development in the recent past.

South Hills and Jennings Road

Today, housing values in Old Brooklyn are listed among the highest in the
City of Cleveland.

There is a variety of housing including small apartments.

Lakeview Ridge Estates

Ameri-Con Homes have built a 110-unit development on Jennings Road, Lakeview
Ridge Estates, which contribute to the residential appeal of this neighborhood.

The former commercial center in Old Brooklyn was around Pearl, Broadview, and
State Roads.

Memphis and Fulton

However, more recent commercial development has been at the intersections of
Memphis and Fulton, Broadview and Brookpark, and Pearl and Brookpark.

The Star Bank Building at 4175 Pearl Road was considered the best built
commercial building when it was constructed in 1924 by the Cleveland Chamber of
Commerce.

South Brooklyn Branch CPL

During the late 1880's, the area around Schaff Road was one of the first in the
Midwest to grow vegetables in greenhouses. By the 1920's, the neighborhood was one
of the nation's leading producers of greenhouse vegetables. Today, some of the former
greenhouses are used for contemporary housing. The area still has farm land with
u-pick strawberries.

Old Brooklyn boasts its private and parochial schools that are some of the best
in the country. In 1998, Old Brooklyn Montessori School opened in the area. This is
a public school serving the first through third graders in Old Brooklyn.

Deaconess Hospital

At 4229 Pearl Road, one will find Deaconess Hospital, which opened with the
help of the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital Society. The core of the current building
dates back to 1928.

The Brooklyn-Brighton Bridge on Pearl Road is the fourth high-level bridge to
cross the Big Creek Valley. Though the bridge opened in 1987, the stone arch bridge
under the Brooklyn-Brighton Bridge dates back to 1865.

On land donated along Broadview Road in 1860 to Old Brooklyn, three cemeteries
have been developed: Broadview Cemetery, Brooklyn Union Burial Ground, and Brainard
Burial Ground.

Broadview Cemetery

St. Mary Byzantine Church

St. Mary Church located at 4600 State Road will celebrate their 68th aniverary in 2006.

In addition, Old Brooklyn is home to Brooklyn Heights Cemetery (4700 Broadview
Road), a non-sectarian burial ground and Lutheran Cemetery (4574 Pearl Road), full of
ornate headstones dating back to 1893.

4574 Pearl Road

The Benjamin Franklin School Garden, established in 1924 was originally created
for a horticulture class at the Benjamin Franklin School. In the 1970s, the program
was discontinued. Community gardeners took over the land and Old Brooklyn Community
Development Corporation has maintained the garden for nearly twenty years.

Our Lady of Good Counsel Church

Our Lady of Good Counsel Church at 4423 Pearl Road was originally built in 1874
on Brookmere Avenue. After fire destroyed that building, the church moved to its
present location and was dedicated in 1930.